The under-fire club owner last night said Customs & Excise this week demanded £60,000 in respect of unpaid VAT.

Mr Hamilton, who has estimated the club's short-term debts at £2.75m, last night said: "I'm due to meet the Inland Revenue in Worthing on Thursday where I will be pleading with them to lay off Wrexham FC for a year."

He added: "I am working like a demon and the challenge for me is to save Wrexham FC from its creditors, keeping the club out of liquidation and continuing to play football at the Racecourse.

"People had better get used to that idea because I'm there for the long-term until these objectives are achieved and, if I'm successful, there will also be a good remuneration for me.

"As I've said before I expect to be in a position to come forward with my proposals by the end of the month."

Mr Hamilton also rubbished reports he was seeking a ground-sharing arrangement.

He claimed reports of a proposed £15m sale of the Racecourse Stadium to a development company and a ground-share with neighbours Chester City were nothing more than a 'wind-up'.

"I don't know who is putting these stories about but ground-sharing has not been under consideration and if anyone wants to give me £15m for the Racecourse Stadium, please give them my telephone number," he said.

"The principle of ground-shares may have come up in conversation in the past but it's not been taken beyond that. "That's not to say it might not be an option one day but it's not on my agenda while I continue to work on the proposals I confirmed last week which are aimed at keeping Wrexham FC at the Racecourse and ridding them of their debts."

Mr Hamilton is at loggerheads with fellow board members including his own appointee, managing director John Reames.

The chairman, who holds 78% of the shares, has sent out notice of an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders to be held on September 29. The single item on the agenda is the removal from the board of the club's other three directors - Mr Reames and Wrexham businessmen Dave Bennett and David Griffiths.

Mr Hamilton's motion cites a "lack of confidence by the majority shareholder in his directors (who are) preventing the financial rescue of the business and impeding negotiations to avoid insolvency and liquidation".